This article contains early-game spoilers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
AsClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Lune remarks on the wonders of the continent, Maelle points out a caveat: everywhere they walk, death walks with them. It’s in this juxtaposition between the land’s beauty and the harrowing dangers that exist within it thatClair Obscurconsiders its world-building, telling a tale through the corpses that dot its land and the remnants of its fleeting past: a ferris wheel stands petrified beyond stone cliffs; a carousel lies motionless, stuck in shards of ice. The ability forClair Obscur: Expedition 33to keep its environments engaging is not just due to its captivating visuals, however. The way the game approaches its level design is also critical to the experience, allowing a type of freedom that accentuates the continent’s diversity.
Following the bloodbath inClair Obscur’s opening, the area in which Gustave finds himself is characterized by a stark tonal contrast. The beauty of the serene land persists despite its horrors, the Nevrons that lurk about, creating an experience that is both expected and unexpected. The player, and Expedition 33, know that the continent is dangerous, but the sheer diversity of its terrain still manages to be surprising; everywhere the team steps, there’s something to look at, or something to engage with, whether it’s in the impossible geometry of an underwater space or the distant Eiffel Tower, distorted among the rubble that hangs over their home in Lumiere.
How Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Level Design Enhances its Visuals and Strong World-Building
Player Agency, Using Terrain to Encourage Exploration
Clair Obscur’s levels thrive on their non-linearity. Walls can be scaled, hooks can be used to cross distances, and the “wrong” way to go is often as rewarding as the right way. It’s worth stressing how abundant the details inClair Obscur’s environments truly are; not only can players find Gestral merchants, optional boss fights, and powerful Pictos that will help them in combat by straying from the path of plot progression, doing so furthers the visual impact of the game’s world. Opportunities to walk by and take in looming statues, or to traipse through luminescent flowers, or to look out onto the surrounding vistas are many, making it easy to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. No yellow paint is needed to guideClair Obscur’s exploration, either; instead, light is often used as a signpost, adjusted based on the player’s proximity to sunlight, or through the glow of lanterns.
Straying From the Designated Path
Stepping intoClair Obscur’s world hub conjures its own sense of awe. Connecting each level is a diorama-like space, the continent, that showcases the world’s beauty, and it can be navigated in a way that feels manageable despite its sprawling nature. While the continent does separateClair Obscur’s levels, they never feel choppy or dissonant even if their environments are distinct; rather, this approach allows each level to be interesting without overstaying its welcome. The non-linearity of the world map, too, works wonders for player agency, allowing the expedition to chart other courses besides what’s required for advancing the story. Dangerous Nevrons with exceptional designs and combat gimmicks are not few and far between, and through defeating them, more of the continent’s wonders are revealed.
Level Design to Encourage World-Building
Clair Obscur’s rest points, designated by the flags of past expeditions, are an ingenious way to consider world-building while contributing mechanically to the game. The same goes for thejournal entries inClair Obscurthat the expedition can come across, often as rewards for defeating the optional bosses that lend so much to the continent’s experience. These aren’t just shiny collectibles to be checked off a list; instead, they actively tell players about the obstacles that past expeditions faced: how they coped with their own pains, or their final accounts before dying. The wealth of characterization given to those the expedition will never even meet is telling of the power of good dialogue, whichClair Obscurreinforces at every measure.
So much of game design hinges on the ability for multiple components to be brought together in harmony, andClair Obscur’s levels do that by simultaneously offering direct gameplay rewards, stunning ambient themes, and access to the sheer visual beauty of its world. The use ofmusic inClair Obscur’sis not understated, either, and the attention to detail is impressive, allowing the game to tell a tale through more than written words.
